Cubs Winter Meetings Extravaganza

In Commentary And Analysis by myles227 Comments

The Winter Meetings have come and gone and the Cubs look totally different now. A brief recap of all of the transactions:

Signings

none

Trades

none

Rule 5 Draft, Major League Phase

no selection

no players selected from Cubs

Rule 5 Draft, AAA Phase

8. Blue Jays select David Garner, RHP (Cubs)
19. Indians select Yapson Gomez, LHP (Cubs)
20. Cubs select Luis Lugo, LHP (Royals)
33. Cubs select Rafelin Lorenzo, C (Pirates)
40. Cubs select Alexander Vargas, RHP (Yankees)

I’m not going to pretend to care about David Garner or Yapson Gomez, though it does seem like Yapson Gomez could potentially be an emergency LOOGY or something. Not a big loss, though. Luis Lugo is a decent org. guy. If he ends up getting a cup in the majors, it wouldn’t stun me, but I wouldn’t plan on it. Rafelin Lorenzo could take plate discipline lessons from Javy Baez. Alexander Vargas is an org. guy at best.

Wrap-Up

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! The Cubs were incredibly busy this Winter Meetings, so if I missed something, please let me know. Morale in Chicago could not be higher, and we figure to sign twice as many high-dollar free agents as we have already!

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Comments

  1. WaLi

    The Cubs also lost Brandon Hyde

    And I can’t believe you missed this huge acquisition

    The Cubs have acquired left-hander Conor Lillis-White from the Angels to complete the teams’ Tommy La Stella trade, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. Lillis-White, 26, was a a 32nd-round pick of the Angels in 2015 who divided last season between the Double-A and Triple-A levels, combining for a 3.50 ERA with 12.3 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9 in 72 innings.

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  2. JKV

    WaLi:
    …Lillis-White…combining for a 3.50 ERA with 12.3 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9 in 72 innings.

    This must be a typo. Everyone knows the Cubs don’t employ minor league pitchers that exceed 6 K/9. That’s not the Cub Way™.

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  3. Ryno

    Ricketts: Theo, your free agent signings suck. Stop doing that.
    Epstein: No.
    Ricketts: Payroll freeze.
    Epstein (to the news): We can’t spend any more money.
    News: Cubs can’t spend any more money.
    Cubs fans: Ricketts sucks.
    Ricketts: *looks like Ted Cruz*

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  4. andcounting

    Ryno:
    Ricketts: Theo, your free agent signings suck. Stop doing that.
    Epstein: No.
    Ricketts: Payroll freeze.
    Epstein (to the news): We can’t spend any more money.
    News: Cubs can’t spend any more money.
    Cubs fans: Ricketts sucks.
    Ricketts: *looks like Ted Cruz*
    Nightengale: Indeed Cubs refuse to spend more money until Joe Ricketts is pardoned for killing JFK.

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  5. andcounting

    dmick89,

    I think the thing that has me most puzzled is the knowledge that this front office is talented at what they do. I mean, they’ve won multiple World Series with multiple franchises historically unsuccessful at winning World Series. They’ve made their fair share of mistakes as well, but not enough to show their judgment is suspect or their system is flawed.

    So that’s why my brain is continually working to assemble a narrative that makes sense of the last 15 months or so. Just writing them off as stupid doesn’t work for me. But neither does Daniel Descalso, so I’m having a difficult time of it right now.

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  6. dmick89

    and counting,

    Yeah, I don’t think they’re anywhere close to stupid. i think they’re very good at their job, but their job can be performed only so good if they don’t have the funds to acquire the necessary talent. I still think the 2019 Cubs will be good, but they’ll likely battle it out with St. Louis for second place and that sucks.

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  7. Smokestack Lightning

    andcounting: But neither does Daniel Descalso, so I’m having a difficult time of it right now.

    Only way Descalso makes sense to me is if the Cubs are trying to attach Happ or AA (not sure why anyone would want him, but hey…) to Heyward or Chatwood in order to shed enough salary to make a play for Harper. Otherwise, why bother?

    dmick89: Hopefully someone tells them so they can spend their remaining money on established Major League relievers.

    That still cracks me up. I’m hoping Wittenmyer, who has never been the go-to guy for rumors (or for much of anything, now that I think about it), is simply talking out of his ass.

    Otoh, this prioritizing “established” behavior can be traced back to the Eloy-Quintana trade, so maybe it is a thing.

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  8. dmick89

    I think Theo has done a mostly fantastic job since taking over, but signing Chatwood out of the gate last year to a contract that looked ridiculous a couple months later and looked laughable just a couple months after that still pisses me off. It’s especially awful when you consider the current financial issues the Cubs are having and probably will continue to have for several more years.

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  9. SK too lzay to

    dmick89:
    the current financial issues the Cubs are having and probably will continue to have for several more years.

    I thought their new TV deal was going to provide bottomless money

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  10. andcounting

    dmick89,

    I agree with all that, though I’m still somewhat aghast even that the Chatwood money, even considered alongside the Hammels money, would have a significant impact on what this obscenely rich organization decides to do.

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  11. EnricoPallazzo

    andcounting: I’m still somewhat aghast even that the Chatwood money, even considered alongside the Hammels money, would have a significant impact on what this obscenely rich organization decides to do

    this is why i still can’t bring myself to be all that upset about the chatwood signing. yeah it was dumb (in hindsight for sure and probably also regular sight). but i thought then, and still think now, that there’s just no way that it’s enough money to adversely effect decisions regarding new expenditures. if the org really did abruptly decide that it’s flat broke (despite being rich as fuck), that would have happened with or without the chatwood signing.

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  12. Smokestack Lightning

    dmick89:
    andcounting,

    Definitely. It’s hard to imagine how this organization has suddenly become so poor despite being so successful and so fucking rich.

    They’re not broke. The prevailing offseason narrative is BS. Cubs may be choosing not to spend, but it’s not because they don’t have it.

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  13. dmick89

    Smokestack Lightning,

    I know they’re not broke, which is why their unwillingness to spend money pisses me off as much as it does. Did the Ricketts family think you could just build a championship caliber team and it would flourish without continued investments in the free agent market? That appears to be the case here. It sucks.

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  14. andcounting

    dmick89,

    At this point they should be embarrassed that the words “they just don’t know whether [Daniel Descalso] is in their budget” were interpreted without irony by anyone.

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  15. Myles

    We’ve thought about bringing a writer to bolster traffic, but we are probably waiting for a TV network deal before we make a play in free agency. Kicking the tires on Daniel Descalso but not sure we can outbid FanRag.

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  16. Smokestack Lightning

    For the league minimum, I’m more than willing to sign on as the quality assurance coach, fellers.

    Or maybe as “worst thing every done” prevention coordinator.

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  17. Myles

    Free agent Manny Machado with his wife ,agent Dan Lozano, and Rickey Renteria walking into the-ballpark 5 min ago for meeting with the White Sox

    — Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) December 17, 2018

    Didn’t know that Dan Lozano and Manny Machado were married.

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  18. Ryno

    Ryno,

    This is the problem with social media. Why would this guy stop in the middle of an experience to tell his “friends” about the experience?

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  19. Ryno

    Ryno,

    This one’s really confusing because it makes it seem like Obama and Castro will shake hands AND get same-sex married on the same day. It’s kind of ridiculous to think they won’t do those things on separate days.

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  20. dmick89

    Ryno,

    I think it’s very likely this is true, which makes me wonder even more why the front office and ownership wouldn’t be doing everything it can to win now. In a few years I don’t think that will be an option.

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  21. Perkins

    I’ve pretty much always assumed Bryant was gone once he hit free agency, just by virtue of his being a really talented player represented by Scott Boras. The service time thing in 2015 was probably the icing on the cake.

    Then again, there’s likely a decent chance of a work stoppage right when he hits free agency, so maybe he won’t get that monster payday anyway.

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  22. dmick89

    Ryno,

    I’m (dying laughing) at the fact they gave Descalso two years and I’m (dying laughing) because they might have to shed payroll when they added someone who will make an average of $2.5 million per year.

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  23. North Side Pat

    Really hoping that this Descalao move is just a precursor to something larger. If not, maybe that explains why our 2019 STH invoice is actually lower than last year’s.

    Anyway, happy holidays to the best discredited Cubs blog around.

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  24. Ryno

    dmick89,

    Have “we” already discussed the possibility that the Cubs have budgeted an amount for Harper and are operating under the assumption that the amount is committed only to him? i.e. We have a $30M payroll increase, but it’s only for use on Harper.

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  25. Ryno

    How delicious is it that Solomon Thomas, the player that the Niners got in that “fleecing” of the Bears by the genius of a GM – Lynch, has been less than average while the Trubisky and the Bears have turned it around?
    –NSBB poster

    SF was planning on drafting Thomas at 2. CHI gave SF a 3rd rounder to move up from 3 so they could draft the second best QB available. So basically, CHI just gave SF a 3rd rounder for piece of mind. Yeah, I’d say that’s a fleecing.

    As for Lynch being less than average, I would’ve taken Marshon Lattimore over Thomas at 2, but that’s neither here nor there. And let’s not just gloss over the fact that SF has played like 80% of their season with QB Nos. 2 and 3.

    In other words…

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  26. Ryno

    Ryno,

    And if your GM is so great, how come he couldn’t see that Patrick Mahomes was the best QB in that draft? Who could’ve known Mahomes was better than Trubisky?

    No, not Hermione. Ryno. If Ryno had been the GM of CHI, the Bears would have Mahomes at QB and would’ve kept their 3rd rounder (and probably used it on Tim Williams, so shrugemoji).

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  27. Wenningtons Gorilla Cock

    EnricoPallazzo:
    Ryno,

    i just assumed you were referring to the iron maiden album

    If you had the time to lose
    An open mind and time to choose
    Would you care to take a look
    Or can you read me like a book?
    Time is always on my side
    Time is always on my side
    Can I tempt you, come with me
    Be Devil may care, fulfill your dream
    If I said I’d take you there
    Would you go, would you be scared?
    Time is always on my side
    Time is always on my side
    Don’t be afraid, you’re safe with me
    Safe as any soul can be, honestly
    Just let yourself go
    Caught somewhere in time
    Caught somewhere in time
    Caught somewhere in time, oh oh
    Caught somewhere in time
    Caught somewhere in time
    Caught somewhere in time, oh oh
    Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing
    You try to hide your deepest sins
    Of all the things that you’ve done wrong
    And I know where you belong
    Time is always on my side
    Time is always on my side
    Make you an offer you can’t refuse
    You’ve only got your soul to lose
    Eternally
    Let yourself go!
    Caught somewhere in time
    Caught somewhere in time
    Caught somewhere in time, oh
    Caught somewhere in time
    Caught somewhere in time
    Caught now in two minds, oh

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  28. Perkins

    Apparently Sinclair is a front runner for the upcoming Cubs network. If that happens, it’s safe to say my future children will be Yankees fans.

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  29. Berselius is too lazy to login on his phone.

    Perkins,

    Crossing my fingers that it’s actually Sinclair gasoline and our future cubs games will be brought to us by DinoVision.

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  30. SK

    Wenningtons Gorilla Cock,

    I’ve got a black skin suit
    Alligator shoes
    Now I found success
    And I paid my dues

    Well everything is fine
    But I can’t find my mind

    I’ve got a crystal ball
    And a divining rod
    Magnifying glass
    And a pack of dogs

    I looked up my sign
    But I can’t find my mind

    I called the law
    Hired a private eye
    Turned in an APB
    With the FBI

    No matter what I do
    I still can’t find a clue
    That’s right

    I don’t know what to think
    I’ve looked every place
    Where is the missing link?
    That was behind my face?
    There’s only one thing to do

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  31. Ryno

    “Security was a bit slow, and I saw some guy heading straight for Mick”, said Keith.
    “I have no idea what this guy is gonna do…all I know is that he’s trying to get his hands on Mick, and I’ve got a weapon in my hands…” – Hampton Coliseum (1981).
    Keith Richards is 75 today. pic.twitter.com/cGjFGpWn5S

    — Music History (@RockWalkLondon) December 18, 2018

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  32. Ryno

    Breaking news -The Chicago Cubs are denying they have a deal in place for a new regional network with Sinclair broadcasting . Industry sources say Sinclair is certainly a front runner to become a partner .

    — Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) December 19, 2018

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  33. EnricoPallazzo

    SK,

    I was working in the lab, late one night
    When my eyes beheld an eerie sight
    For my monster from his slab, began to rise
    And suddenly to my surprise
    He did the mash, he did the monster mash
    The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash
    He did the mash, it caught on in a flash
    He did the mash, he did the monster mash
    From my laboratory in the castle east
    To the master bedroom where the vampires feast
    The ghouls all came from their humble abodes
    To get a jolt from my electrodes
    They did the mash, they did the monster mash
    The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash
    They did the mash, it caught on in a flash
    They did the mash, they did the monster mash
    The zombies were having fun, the party had just begun
    The guests included Wolfman, Dracula, and his son
    The scene was rockin’, all were digging the sounds
    Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds
    The coffin-bangers were about to arrive
    With their vocal group, ‘The Crypt-Kicker Five’
    They played the mash, they played the monster mash
    The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash
    They played the mash, it caught on in a flash
    They played the mash, they played the monster mash
    Out from his coffin’, Drac’s voice did ring
    Seems he was troubled by just one thing
    He opened the lid and shook his fist and said
    “Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist?
    It’s now the mash, it’s now the monster mash
    The monster mash, it was graveyard smash
    It’s now the mash, it caught on in a flash
    It’s now the mash, it’s now the monster mash
    Now everything’s cool, Drac’s a part of the band
    And my Monster Mash is the hit of the land
    For you, the living this mash was meant too
    When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you
    Then you can mash, then you can monster mash
    The monster mash and do my graveyard smash
    Then you can mash, you’ll catch on in a flash
    Then you can mash, then you can monster mash
    Mash good!
    Easy, Igor, you impetuous young boy
    Mash good! Grrr!

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  34. Ryno

    RUSSIANS AND GERMANS
    A Remarkable Armistice
    LONDON. Saturday.
    A Russian official message says: ‘In the region of Tirul swamp we took the offensive and dislodged the enemy, taking some prisoners, but withdrew under German pressure.

    “We advanced a mile in the direction of Kalngen, but fell back before counterattacks. General Ivanhkevitch, who led the first line, was wounded, but remained at his post.”

    Rome advices from Petrograd report great German reinforcements on the Riga front Under Hindenburg’s personal direction. Berne states that the Swiss frontier contiguous to Germany remains rigorously closed.

    Packs of hungry wolves infest the Polesie front, and the soldiers are beating them off with machine guns. In some cases Germans joined Russians in fighting the wolves. Recently the Russo-Germans suspended a hot encounter and organised a joint hunt to drive off the wolves. Afterwards they returned to their trenches. There was no treachery on either side.
    https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/58022336

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  35. Ryno

    Ryno: Packs of hungry wolves infest the Polesie front, and the soldiers are beating them off with machine guns

    I guess that’s one way to stop a hungry wolf, though there’s probably a gentler way to do it.

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  36. berselius

    EnricoPallazzo,

    I was working late on my Haftorah
    When I heard a knock on my bedroom-doorah
    I opened it up and to my surprise
    There was a werewolf standing there with glowing gold eyes

    He says tomorrow my son, you will be a man
    But tonight’s the time to join the wolfen clan
    Tomorrow you will stand at the bimah and pray
    But tonight let’s gaze at the moon and bay

    Werewolf Bar Mitzvah
    Spooky scary
    Boys becoming men
    Men becoming wolves

    Werewolf Bar Mitzvah
    Spooky scary
    Boys becoming men
    Men becoming wolves

    The next day what happened
    The Talmud didn’t teach, oh there’s more
    I got up in front of everyone
    To give my little speech

    Then my teeth turned into fangs
    And my nails into claws
    And I nearly dropped the Torah
    When my hands turned into paws

    I growled and I roared
    And my rabbi did as well
    It was a rocking werewolf zoo
    At Temple Beth-Emmanuel

    Werewolf Bar Mitzvah
    Spooky scary
    Boys becoming men
    Men becoming wolves

    We had a reception at the Larchmont Country Club
    They served a real nice brisket and an eight foot party sub
    I danced with my cousins, I got money from my folks
    We had a lot of fun making circumcision jokes

    Then I remembered the premise of my song
    I was at a nice reception but the werewolf part was gone
    So we pulled ourselves together and we’re wolf men again
    Just in time for monster fight to begin, no

    All the country club employees were brain sucking pack
    Who had all turned into zombies and were on the attack, no man
    So we fought them and some Dracula’s and Frankensteins too
    ‘Cause you gotta love Bar Mitzvah, even if you’re not a, aroo

    Werewolf Bar Mitzvahs
    Spooky scary
    Boys becoming men
    Men becoming wolves

    Werewolf Bar Mitzvah
    Kooky hairy
    Boys becoming men
    Men becoming wolves

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  37. Ryno

    Source: For additional infield depth, the Cubs have signed Phillip Evans to a minor-league deal. Evans, 26, played briefly for the Mets in 2017 and 2018 and posted an .820 OPS at their Triple-A affiliate this year.

    — Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) December 19, 2018

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  38. Myles

    “Reidy, asked about early red flags she saw, says that when she and Russell would go for walks when she was pregnant, Russell would try to make her trip. He “thought it would be funny”. When she asked what he was doing, Reidy says he responded, “You’re athletic. You’ll catch yourself. I just wanted to see if you would catch yourself.” She was surprised and upset. “Who even thinks that’s funny? You thought it would be funny to see if I was going to stumble or fall?””

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  39. Myles

    “Just days before Spring Training in 2016, Aiden was diagnosed with RSV (respiratory syncytial virus, a mild respiratory illness that can be serious in infants) and had to stay in the hospital for days. It was a challenging experience for Reidy, who continued to find Addison absent when she needed him most. “My baby is hooked up to oxygen and a feeding tube…I need your emotional support, I need you to be there,” She remembers telling Addison. Instead of providing emotional support, Reidy says he attempted convince her to have sex with him in the hospital shower. (“In the hospital room with our son in the hospital bed? Why is that on your mind?”)”

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  40. Myles

    “The day she arrived, she “saw stuff on his iPad” and realized that he was cheating on her again. This time, with a woman who she described as a “really, really close friend”. She still had to fly back on the Cubs’ plane with Russell, to whom she wasn’t speaking. She was sitting with Aiden near the window when she says Russell came over, grabbed her leg, squeezed it, and started to whisper in her ear. “He was like, “If you don’t fucking act normal right now, I swear to god, I’m going to embarrass both of us on this plane. Do you really want that? Do you really want me to embarrass you in front of everybody? …Act fucking right, act like I’m your fucking husband. Treat me like I’m your husband,” Melisa says she asked him what he wanted her to do. His response? “He was like, talk to me. Turn around. Look at me. Sit closer.””

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  41. andcounting

    Myles,

    Ok, so this is stupid and hurt her emotionally, but it’s also playful. If anyone wants, they can interpret as a psychotic red flag, but it’s not. Summarizing it as “trying to trip her when she was pregnant” is disengenuous and makes it sound as though he tried to end her pregnancy by putting a tripwire at the top of the stairs. Also, the “he would” wording seems an attempt to cast a one- or two-time occurrence as a pattern of abusive behavior. The abusive behavior is real, but this kind of thing can hardly be considered part of it.

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  42. andcounting

    Myles:
    “Just days before Spring Training in 2016, Aiden was diagnosed with RSV (respiratory syncytial virus, a mild respiratory illness that can be serious in infants) and had to stay in the hospital for days. It was a challenging experience for Reidy, who continued to find Addison absent when she needed him most. “My baby is hooked up to oxygen and a feeding tube…I need your emotional support, I need you to be there,” She remembers telling Addison. Instead of providing emotional support, Reidy says he attempted convince her to have sex with him in the hospital shower. (“In the hospital room with our son in the hospital bed? Why is that on your mind?”)”

    Again, this is extremely bad partnership, super selfish, and obviously inappropriate. It’s not criminal or abusive or cause for disciplinary action. It’s cause for a WTF and a “motherfucker, get your head straight and understand what it means to be a man.” It’s the type of thing people overcome and work through. It’s shitty and extremely not my business.

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  43. andcounting

    Myles:
    “The day she arrived, she “saw stuff on his iPad” and realized that he was cheating on her again. This time, with a woman who she described as a “really, really close friend”. She still had to fly back on the Cubs’ plane with Russell, to whom she wasn’t speaking. She was sitting with Aiden near the window when she says Russell came over, grabbed her leg, squeezed it, and started to whisper in her ear. “He was like, “If you don’t fucking act normal right now, I swear to god, I’m going to embarrass both of us on this plane. Do you really want that? Do you really want me to embarrass you in front of everybody? …Act fucking right, act like I’m your fucking husband. Treat me like I’m your husband,” Melisa says she asked him what he wanted her to do. His response? “He was like, talk to me. Turn around. Look at me. Sit closer.””

    This is maniacal, emotionally and psychologically abusive and manipulative, intimidation, and perhaps criminal.

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  44. BVS at lunch

    Myles left out the part where he tackled her on the sidewalk after she got mad at him and got out of the cab. Verifiable because another couple was with them.

    For both their sakes, and his kids, I hope he gets his shit together. He has a LOT of work to do. So do his “advisors” who, in the account, seem not to be the Cubs. They come off pretty bad too.

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  45. andcounting

    Myles,
    It’s true, but a big part of me is just like, yeah, people suck. It’s a given. I don’t feel bad for him that the details are coming out. He’s got to deal with everyone hating him for being a piece of shit. That’s what happens when you decide to act like a piece of shit. And I don’t begrudge anyone for disclosing details or reacting to them in whatever manner they choose.

    But, I have a choice to think about it all and put it into context and not react in any other way than to absorb the disgust I feel for what he did, what my fellow humans and males are capable of and things I regret doing that resemble some of that stupidity, rage, insensitivity, immaturity, and selfishness.

    Maybe some people can read this and distance themselves from “people like Addison Russell,” and the further away he gets the better we can all feel. I can’t. I see shades of myself in him, and it feels like shit. There’s no easy way out of it. I don’t want to justify, excuse, or minimize abuse or its impact or evil. But we can and, I believe, should deal with it.

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  46. Ryno

    andcounting:
    Myles,
    It’s true, but a big part of me is just like, yeah…suck…him for being a piece of shit. That’s what happens when…I feel…my fellow…males.

    Maybe some people can. I can’t. I see…myself in him. deal with it.

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  47. Ryno

    I kinda feel like if the Cubs had traded for Peavy, they would’ve been mediocre longer and we wouldn’t have had the fun stretch of ’15-’17.

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  48. Smokestack Lightning

    Daniel Murphy ——————> Rockies

    Anibal Sanchez —————-> Nats

    Andrew Miller ——————-> Cardinals

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  49. andcounting

    Since the Cubs’ main strategy this offseason is to hope injured players will stop being injured soon and poorly performing players will just stop that nonsense, I’m trying to remember a time when that approach worked for them in the past. My memory isn’t what it used to be, and the Google has been no help. Can anyone offer me any recollections that might help?

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  50. Smokestack Lightning

    andcounting:
    Since the Cubs’ main strategy this offseason is to hope injured players will stop being injured soon and poorly performing players will just stop that nonsense, I’m trying to remember a time when that approach worked for them in the past. My memory isn’t what it used to be, and the Google has been no help. Can anyone offer me any recollections that might help?

    In all fairness to this approach, I would imagine any deep dive into the past wouldn’t yield players with the sort of talent the Cubs are banking on a bounceback/breakout from in 2019.

    That being said, supplementing this approach with, say, a Bryce Harper wouldn’t be a terrible idea. You know, just in case it doesn’t work out as planned.

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  51. sharpchicity

    Ryno,

    do people actually have a subscription to this? that said, i’ve also never been able to find a workaround like one can for the NYT or WSJ

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  52. dmick89

    The most troubling aspect of this offseason is that it’s what we can expect going forward. This team is going to have financial difficulties for awhile. If 2019 results in the Cubs missing the playoffs I think some people in the front office need to be fired.

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  53. dmick89

    sharpchicity: i’ve also never been able to find a workaround like one can for the NYT or WSJ

    I finally broke down and just got a subscription to the NYT. There has to be a workaround. Do you get a number of free articles per month? I think the last time I even visited the site was when they asked me for money.

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  54. berselius

    dmick89,

    I got one awhile back – I like Sahadev’s work enough that I felt it was worth the money. Their in season coverage is much better than any other outlet, but I pretty much never read it the rest of the year.

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  55. Smokestack Lightning

    Myles:
    Alex Wood, Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp -> Reds
    Homer Bailey -> Dodgers

    Holy Shit

    Also, almost certainly means….

    Bryce Harper -> Dodgers

    Maybe, maybe not.

    https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-payroll-20181105-story.html

    Which ties in with this:

    For those shipping the Dodgers and Bryce Harper: After the trade, the Dodgers' luxury-tax payroll is going to be more than $180M, including the money they're sending to Cincinnati. If they want to stay under, Harper isn't happening. If that's not a concern, it's a possibility.

    — Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 21, 2018

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  56. sharpchicty

    Smokestack Lightning,

    I think this whole “payroll projection” is just some numbers thrown around for the purpose of recruiting investors. As of now, there’s no reason to forecast Harper’s salary on the payroll, so this number is meaningless to use in context of Harper.

    Under the projections prepared for potential investors, the Dodgers would spend $185 million on salaries in 2019 and 2020, $191 million in 2021 and $196 million in 2022.

    The Dodgers’ payroll projections are not binding. One high-ranking team official called the figures a “forecast,” and another said he would be “shocked” if the player payroll did not top $200 million next season.

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  57. Myles

    From the Reds’ perspective, they traded $12 million and some okayish prospects for two assets that are potentially flippable for better prospect than they lost (Wood and Puig) and a lead weight (Matt Kemp) that they can perhaps trade for peanuts eventually. Wood in particular would get more than the prospects the Reds gave up if they traded him today, in my opinion.

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  58. Smokestack Lightning

    sharpchicty,

    I’l guess we’ll just have to see. My best bet for a while has been Harper probably ends up in LA (largely due to a dearth of public suitors at this point and a lack of imagination on my part), but after reading through the responses in the media to the latest move, and the info in that piece, it could very well be the Dodgers didn’t do this deal for Harper but for other reasons. Thought it was worth mentioning as something to keep in mind.

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  59. Myles

    My main thought is “what would be the biggest kick in the dick for the Cubs?” and if what has happened lines up with that possibility, I lean towards that. Harper going to the Cubs would be the biggest dick-kick reasonably possible.

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  60. Myles

    Myles:
    My main thought is “what would be the biggest kick in the dick for the Cubs?” and if what has happened lines up with that possibility, I lean towards that. Harper going to the DODGERS would be the biggest dick-kick reasonably possible.

    Apologies. No dinner for me tonight.

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  61. Smokestack Lightning

    I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up here but it appears….

    Kendall Graveman —————> Cubs

    I believe some of you have said some negative things about this front office of late. I will now give you time to walk it all back.

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  62. Smokestack Lightning

    I’m starting to wonder if this offseason isn’t all an elaborate prank by the FO that will end with J. Walter Weatherman saying “And that’s why you don’t bitch about 95-win seasons.”

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  63. Smokestack Lightning

    andcounting:
    Does he have high-end or merely established spin rate?

    Undetermined, as the soonest he can pitch for the Cubs is 2020.

    The fact that he won’t pitch for the Cubs next season is actually my favorite part of the deal, and I could even get behind the Cubs extending him through 2025 if it means he won’t pitch any of those years either.

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  64. Smokestack Lightning

    andcounting,

    AC, do you want him to be available? Like ever?

    Also, seems there is a provision in his contract where if he’s active one day next year, his 2019 salary jumps from 575K to 2MM.

    With the Cubs in sad sack hobo mode right now, I doubt they’d have given him that provision if they really thought he’d be pitching for the team next year. This looks like Drew Smyly part deux, only this time with less talent.

    Unless, of course, they’re in double secret stealth hobo smokescreen mode, and they’re about to drop 400MM on Bryce Harper, and they couldn’t care less about Kendrick Graveby and his dumb 2 million.

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  65. GW

    andcounting: Since the Cubs’ main strategy this offseason is to hope injured players will stop being injured soon and poorly performing players will just stop that nonsense, I’m trying to remember a time when that approach worked for them in the past. My memory isn’t what it used to be, and the Google has been no help. Can anyone offer me any recollections that might help?

    2014 Giants. 2013 Red Sox.

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  66. JKV

    andcounting:
    Since the Cubs’ main strategy this offseason is to hope injured players will stop being injured soon and poorly performing players will just stop that nonsense, I’m trying to remember a time when that approach worked for them in the past. My memory isn’t what it used to be, and the Google has been no help. Can anyone offer me any recollections that might help?

    Trevor Cahill is the only one I can think of.

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  67. North Side Pat

    May your Christmas be moderately over replacement value, and scheduled to come off the DL no sooner than Sept 2019.

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  68. BVS

    WATN? If you have the week off and the thought of staring at Temple v Duke or Baylor v Vandy in football (yes, these really are bowl games, not college basketball) is making you queasy, grab the leftover eggnog or coquito and you can watch Todd Wellemeyer in the movie Better Start Running on Amazon Prime.

    Based on the reviews, it seems Todd’s pitching career was slightly better than the movie, so I guess he didn’t repeat history and earn a save in his acting debut.

    But watching a former Cub act for a couple minutes in a movie that gets a 5.1/10 rating seems like the perfect Cubfan thing to do in this lazy post-Christmas season.

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  69. Ryno

    BVS:
    WATN? If you have the week off and…Duke or Baylor…is making you queasy, grab…Todd Wellemeyer in the…thing…this lazy post-Christmas season.

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  70. BVS

    dmick89,

    We have a #1 ace pitcher coming that we didn’t have last year. And an MVP hitter who we only had for 35% of last season. Plus we signed another pretty decent #3 with aging ace stuff. We replaced a guy who’s only position was PH with a guy who appears to have found something in his swing and can provide decent D in lots of places.

    Now lets package Caratini, Chatwood, and cash to SD for Austin Hedges.

    Also, a hitter please.

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  71. dmick89

    So apparently the Cubs asked Boras to check back with them before Harper signs with another team. This doesn’t really make sense to me. If you’re short on money this offseason, why spend on some of the things they have (Hamels for example)? Who are they hoping to trade? Heyward probably, but that will require the Cubs eating a large portion of his salary. I hate this offseason and I hate the position the Cubs are in.

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  72. WaLi

    How about them Bears? And what better way for the regular season to end than with Packers getting blown up and Vikings yelling at each other on the sidelines.

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  73. WaLi

    dmick89,

    What happened to Heyward when he came to the Cubs? I think we were all excited here when he signed, but he has been nothing but a disappointment in offense and although he’s improved slightly over the years since he got here, he is still nothing compared to where he was before joining the Cubs.

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  74. Ryno

    No. 2 overall pick -> 49ers

    Two years ago, a meaningless win late in the season dropped SF from No. 1 overall to No. 2. So instead Myles Garrett, they landed Solomon Thomas.

    This year, a meaningless win lat in the season dropped SF from No. 1 overall to No. 2. So instead of Nick Bosa, they’ll land…someone else not nearly as good as the player they missed out on.

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  75. WaLi

    Ryno,

    When’s your mock draft coming out? Interested in who you have for the Jags considering all the holes they need to fill with them cutting ties seemingly with Fournette and Bortles

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  76. Ryno

    WaLi:
    what better way for the regular season to end than with Packers getting blown up and Vikings yelling at each other on the sidelines.

    The 49ers with the first overall pick or a playoff berth.

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  77. Ryno

    WaLi,

    I’m not sure I’m qualified to make one anymore with draftbreakdown.com going away. All I know is based on what I’ve read and very limited viewing.

    From the sound of it, there’s Bosa and Quinnen Williams and everyone else at the top. Ed Oliver might sneak into that tier.

    It could be interesting because the top teams are all set at QB for right now. TB at 5 is the first team that could look to pick one, but keep an eye on OAK. It would be a surprise to see Gruden move Carr to a team like JAX who think they’re a QB away. And with Haskins being the only QB seemingly worth a shit, there could be a demand for him.

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  78. BVS

    From Jason Stark

    Who had the very best ERA in the entire sport in 2018 among qualified starters? That would be Jacob deGrom, at 1.70. The Mets somehow went 14-18 in his starts.

    Meanwhile, what pitcher had the worst ERA in the entire sport among qualified starters? That would be Lucas Giolito of the 100-loss White Sox, at 6.13. And what was his team’s record in his starts? Yup, it was also (what else?) 14-18.

    (dying laughing) at Mets and Sox.

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  79. Myles

    JKV:
    RIP Tyler Trent

    Shit sucks, yo. He died of cancer, but he fought like hell and raised a shitload of money to fight back. Great guy. I’ll really miss him.

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  80. Mucker

    GW:
    Anyone around here have strong feelings about circumcision, one way or the other?

    Is this a joke? I don’t want to give a heartfelt answer if it’s just a joke (dying laughing)

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  81. BVS

    GW,

    GW,

    Well, it’s not reversible.

    Also, there is no credible research that suggests that it’s necessary for cleanliness, disease control, etc. at least there wasn’t 12 years ago.

    It’s a cultural practice that seems to still be mostly prevalent in the US, but as I understand it, most of Europe and South America have given it up. Don’t know about Asia.

    When I lived in W. Africa, circumcision occurred either about age 5, or age 18-20, depending on the ethnic group, so you have time to decide, (dying laughing).

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  82. BVS

    BVS,

    I guess I’d follow up to say that if I had a baby boy, I’d not do it, but we had a girl, so the issue was moot. I’d never second guess someone else’s choice though.

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  83. Mucker

    Well from someone who was not born in this country and might be the only one on this site that is not circumcised, I can say that if I had a boy, I would choose to circumcise him. As BVS as stated, there’s really no medical reason to do it but there is some debate about that so take it for what it is. Having been uncut for almost 40 years, I can say that I’ve not had any health issues regarding not being circumcised but have had some pretty terrible instances of rejection from women when they found out I was uncut. I had a girl in college to tell me to put my clothes back on when she found out. I’ve had girls tell me they were grossed out by it. I tried to inform them before we had sex that I was uncut just so there wasn’t a huge surprise but some women were really freaked out about it. I was already self-conscious about it back then so that kind of stuff really fucked me up and I really got to the point that I didn’t even try to have sex anymore.

    When I met my fiance, she was really cool about it and says she loves it (dying laughing). She agrees with me that she’d like for our son to be circumcised strictly because she knows how people are and wouldn’t want our son to experience the same things I did. It’s terrible to think that way but I would never want my son to feel the way I did in those instances. But I think it’s becoming more and more common to be uncut so hopefully in the next couple years, society’s outlook will change on it. Just make sure if you do decide to not circumcise, he’s taught proper cleaning habits. DO NOT use scented soaps because that can really irritate the glans and don’t use towels or brushes on it. Warm water with unscented soap should be fine.

    Never thought I would every share this with you guys so I might stay away from this site for a little bit (dying laughing)

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  84. GW

    BVS,

    I’m completely on the fence at this point. My cursory reading of the literature is that there are real benefits for std/uti prevention. On the other hand, using Tango’s method (“if it was not common practice, would we start now?”), I think the clear answer is: “no.” It would take a lot of evidence to justify genital alteration/mutilation. Unless we had an Africa-level HIV problem, we probably wouldn’t even go there. But the fact that pretty much everyone does it means that it is pretty routine, and complications are rare. And Mucker’s point about female preferences is definitely something that shouldn’t be ignored. The data seems to show that it is far less frequently performed on the west coast nowadays, but the midwest is still around ~90%.

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  85. Myles

    GW:
    Mucker,

    So, if I’m reading your comment correctly, you would circumcise if you had to make the choice today, correct?

    We have a son. We did not get him circumsized. It’s genital mutliation, and I think our kid should have all the genitals he can get. I am circumsized, fwiw. If my son wants to get circumsized later in life, I guess we’ll cross that bridge.

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  86. sharpchicity

    Don’t want to disrupt from the scintillating conversation we have going on right now, but man it’s crazy to see Tulo getting signed for half a million. Obviously the yankees have more room with gregorious out longer than Russell, but crazy that someone wouldn’t pony up $1M to have a guy who put up good numbers from 2013-2016, even if he sucked in half of 2017 and missing all of 2018.

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  87. North Side Pat

    GW:
    Anyone around here have strong feelings about circumcision, one way or the other?

    It could go either way.

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  88. Wenningtons Gorilla Cock

    OV:
    Come for the Pizza Hut MILFs,
    Stay for the foreskin debate.
    It’s a Cubs blog.

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  89. andcounting

    I do not have strong feelings on circumcision, but I do have a strong suspicion that maybe we should. The fact that it’s so prevalent does not tell me complications are rare, it tells me society is highly unlikely to admit it’s a terrible idea even if there was ample evidence of its dangers. People suck at admitting they’ve been doing something awful, especially if it’s widely accepted. I would expect complications to be covered up and ignored routinely.

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  90. andcounting

    If bench coach Mark Loretta doesn’t excite this blog enough to generate discussion (but circumcision does), I’d say the Cubs have done an excellent job of desensitizing our nether regions this winter.

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  91. sharpchicity

    Theo Epstein on @670TheScore said the payroll would not inhibit the Cubs going over the luxury tax if it makes economic and player addition sense .

    Now can we all agree that we have enough money to sign harper?

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  92. Mucker

    GW,

    Yes, I would. My reason is purely emotional based on my experiences in my life. But it would be a decision I would take great care coming to with my wife/child’s mom. My brother is also uncut but he got his son circumcised when he was born. I think it’s terrible that decisions like this are based on something so dumb but people can be evil and the emotional toil those rejections played on me was pretty unfair.

    To Myles point about later circumcision, I looked into it at about 15 and said hell no. They said it was risky at my age and quite frankly there’s nothing wrong with me, just other people’s preference of what a penis should look like. So I decided against it. But I did want to get it done. Really glad I didn’t though.

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  93. Myles

    I do understand the societal pressures involved, for sure. Maybe Russell will end up disliking our decision. I get the feeling that circumcision will be less and less popular as religion wanes in the country, but I could be underestimating the inertia around this issue.

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  94. rattier

    Long-time lurker here, and I feel like I finally have something unique to say that some of you might actually care about. Never thought this would be what I piped up about.

    I lived for a few decades uncircumcised and it was fine. I didn’t have any of the rejection issues Mucker talked about (maybe I did and was just misinterpreting the rejections I did get, (dying laughing)). A few years back though, there started to be some issues with the skin, and to cut the description short, so to speak, my doctor recommended circumcision. Treated it like no big deal (it was to me!). I researched, and decided it would be better than the current situation. The recovery definitely sucked for a couple weeks, but after that I would say that no function of the affected region is worse than before, and some are even a bit better. I’d read online about fears about losing feeling, nerve endings, etc.; nope.

    “Genital mutilation” is definitely a stretch. It seems to be a mostly inconsequential part of the body, both medically and personally. Is an appendectomy intestinal mutilation? Nah. Would I get a preemptive appendectomy it if it didn’t require internal surgery, and if there were some potential health and social benefits to removing it, but considering that any operation has possible complications? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    Overall, I’d say it’s not the biggest deal in the world. I’d go for it, and did for my boy, but if you don’t want to do it or if there are unique anatomical complicating factors, it can always be done later if necessary (though I wouldn’t recommend the operation to a teenager, who already has plenty of body and sexual issues to worry about). It certainly doesn’t seem fun for the baby, but it’s a hell of a lot easier than birth. The procedure is apparently much easier in the case of babies too, ask your ob or pediatrician for details.

    So yeah, go Cubs?

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  95. SK

    My first son was born in Iowa probably around the same time as some of you (or when you were 5 or 10) and I don’t even remember being asked if we had a preference – possibly they did and I said yes, because I was young and that’s what I knew.

    My wife is Irish and she probably would have said no if it was just up to her.

    We moved to Ireland where our second son was born and I felt like he needed to be the same as his brother. It was slightly awkward asking (since they have never done it here, so didn’t offer), and they had to find the one doc who had experience from working in the US.

    I’ve felt kind of crappy about it since, seeing as they’ve now grown up in a culture where they are the odd ones out. I should probably ask them how they feel about it. They’d love it being discussed online (dying laughing).

    I can’t imagine not being “cut” – but I bet all the men here would tell you to get fucked if you suggested they do it.

    It does seem like a bizarre, violent leftover of past times when you think about it.

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  96. berselius

    Looks like Matt LaFleur ———> Packers

    Not sure if I am excited by this – for one I am extremely excited that they didn’t go with the retreads like Caldwell and Pagano that they interviewed, but it’s not like LaFleur lit the world on fire with the thumbtacks.

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  97. sharpchicity

    berselius,

    I read that as “redheads like Caldwell and Pagano” and laughed until I realized neither of those men have red hair. Thought there was some coaching thing similar to the andy dalton will never be successful group.

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  98. uncle dave

    So maybe I’ve been wrong about the Rickettses all along. They’re not refusing to spend because they’re hostile to labor, they’re refusing to spend in order to drive a healthy public discourse about circumcision. If we don’t have any free agent signings to talk about, the conversation is naturally gonna drift, right?

    I don’t have any strong opinions about it, which is good since nobody bothered to ask me what I thought about the whole thing 45 years ago. I will add that my wife has a stronger opinion on it than I do, but that’s easy for her since it ain’t her dick that’s gettin’ chopped up. (If we were 25 years younger it might be a different conversation, of course.)

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  99. Ryno

    berselius,

    In cases like this, I always assume the HC handcuffs the OC some amount. Especially a rookie HC that played defense under Belichick. What’s more important is what he’s learned about running an offense and a team along the way. I’d suspect that several years with Mike and Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay would teach him a lot about both.

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  100. berselius

    Ryno,

    Yeah, that’s the hope. I’ve moved to cautiously pleased about this hire the more I’ve read. Also, I’m not sure who I would have felt was a no doubt home run hire that was vaguely available, other than either of the Harbaughs or maybe Lincoln Riley. I do think/hope that it was pretty crafty by the Packers to interview Jim Caldwell and Chuck Pagano to make sure that the bar was set pretty low with the fans for whoever they hired (dying laughing).

    I kind of hope every team interviews McDaniels, tells him he got the job, and announces someone else.

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  101. Ryno

    berselius,

    Exactly. LaFleur is probably the best hire in terms of ceiling and floor of all the candidates rumored to be available. I mean, Kliff Kingsbury (recently fired from Texas Tech) and Matt Rhule (Baylor) are the hot names at the moment…

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